Chapter 135: The Seabed

"Hey! Long time no see, Xius." Jelin stood outside the villa, his face beaming with a bright smile as he watched Xius emerge.

"Long time no see!" Xius stood up and gestured for Jelin to come inside the villa to talk.

"No need. I have to return to my family soon, so I have a favor to ask of you!" Jelin glanced at the interior of the villa, showing no intention of entering.

"What is it? Go ahead."

"I have a newly cultivated plant in my villa. I’d like you to keep an eye on it for me. It won’t be much trouble—just make sure it doesn't die. You only need to check on it once every two weeks." As he spoke, Jelin transferred the control authority of his villa's defensive wizard array to Xius.

"Sure, consider it done!" Xius agreed immediately. It wasn't a difficult task, and visiting every two weeks wouldn't interfere with his own schedule.

"Hahaha, that’s a relief!" After a bit more casual chatter, Xius returned all the money Jelin had paid on his behalf. Jelin did not refuse, as he knew Xius was not the type to accept favors for nothing.

Over the remaining two days, Xius prepared a large quantity of natural potions and petrification potions in his villa, gearing up for his entry into the secret realm two days later.

In the meantime, Xius had successfully absorbed the 1,000 grams of energy crystals. Unsurprisingly, he had become a semi-elementalized wizard.

"Beep! Xius Bruh: Level 1 Wizard. Bloodline: Abyssal Walker. Strength: 7.12, Agility: 8.91, Physique: 10.97, Mental Power: 52.81, Mana: 52.81 (Mana is synchronized with Mental Power). Mental Elementalization Progress: 57%. Status: Healthy!"

"Not bad!" During this period, Xius's mental elementalization had seen a significant surge. The power of his various spells had increased considerably, and their mana consumption had decreased.

"Heading to the secret realm tomorrow!" Lying on his bed, Xius felt a sense of anticipation. Since embarking on the path of a wizard, this would be his first time exploring the secret realm of a fallen wizard.

Gute had also sent a reminder through their mark, fearing that Xius might forget.

The next day, Gute was ready early, awaiting the arrival of the others.

The one-eyed wizard was the first to arrive, followed shortly by an elderly woman accompanied by a young woman.

"Minny, are you sure about bringing your daughter?" Gute nodded at the young woman as a greeting.

"We are both Level 1 wizards; who’s afraid of whom?" Minny had a fiery temper, and since she was very familiar with Gute, she spoke her mind directly.

"You..."

"Don't worry, Uncle Gute. I’ve been a Level 1 wizard for a while now; I won't hold you all back!" Maifan stepped in quickly, sensing that Gute and her mother were about to bicker again.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Gute looked at Maifan with a smile, indicating he didn't mind what her mother had just said.

"Apologies, I'm late!" Xius arrived at the shop to find the group chatting and laughing, realizing he was likely the last one to arrive.

"Not late at all, everyone just got here. Let me introduce you!" Seeing Xius approaching with his pack, Gute came forward to welcome him.

"This is Ryan," Gute said, pointing to the one-eyed wizard.

"And this is Minny, with her daughter, Maifan."

"This is Xius, whom I mentioned to you earlier!" Gute introduced everyone one by one.

After a round of greetings, they were acquainted. Maifan seemed quite warm toward Xius, perhaps finding it uncomfortable to be caught in the middle of Gute and the others.

"Wait, you’ve already achieved semi-elementalization?" Xius had only just broken through, and his energy was still unstable, which Gute had noticed instantly.

"I traded for some things at the Silver Rose; it was just a stroke of luck!" Xius had already prepared his excuse, knowing he couldn't hide it.

"Good! The stronger everyone is, the safer we’ll be. But before we head out, let’s all sign a contract." Gute produced the contract he had prepared earlier.

The contract consisted mainly of clauses regarding the distribution of resources, with nothing else of note. The group scanned it briefly and signed.

Xius didn't say much; after all, Gute was the one who had invited him to this secret realm, and he was the one benefiting from the opportunity.

"Since there are no objections, let’s get moving. The secret realm is quite a distance from Holy Circle City!" Gute suggested.

"Let’s go!" The one-eyed wizard, Ryan, replied and took the lead.

"Aren't we leaving the city? Why are we going to the trading district?" Xius asked curiously as he saw them heading toward the trading area.

"Obviously to find something to ride. We can't just walk there, can we?" Ryan, walking in front, answered.

After making a few turns, the group arrived behind a large trading hall. Rows of pens were neatly arranged, holding all sorts of creatures: orcs, half-elves, and even several knights.

"Kevin! Kevin!"

"Coming, coming!" A burly man slowly emerged from behind a door.

"Is the group of five Venom Wyverns I asked you to reserve still here?" Gute asked as soon as Kevin appeared.

"They're here. Here are the control keys; you'll see them if you walk inside," Kevin muttered impatiently before heading back.

"Let's move!" Gute took the five keys and led the way. Sure enough, in one of the pens, they found five Venom Wyverns.

These wyverns looked more like lizards, but they possessed a pair of broad wings on their backs. Their dark green skin and the wings they spread were clear indicators of their draconic lineage.

"The draconic blood in these Venom Wyverns is very thin, but they are quite fast. Using them as mounts, we should arrive before dark!" Gute distributed the keys.

"These wyverns are trained. Just use your mental power through the key to communicate with them!" Gute demonstrated, and immediately, one of the wyverns descended from the pen and lay down obediently in front of him.

"I'll lead the way; follow closely behind!" With that, Gute mounted the nearly six-meter-long wyvern.

The others followed suit. Xius found it easy to mount his wyvern using the key.

"Beep! Venom Wyvern. Strength: 4.7, Speed: 8.41, Physique: 5.12. Status: Healthy!"

"This speed is indeed impressive!" Xius noted the creature's data, gaining a better understanding of the beast.

The Venom Wyverns were not only fast but also provided an incredibly stable flight. By dusk, the group had reached their final destination.

"Is it by the sea?" Xius had expected it to be in the mountains or some remote area; he hadn't anticipated it being at the coast.

The tide was coming in, and massive waves crashed against the shore. Xius noticed that this beach was desolate, seemingly rarely visited by anyone.

"Not by the sea—to be precise, it's in the sea!" Gute said, offering no further explanation.

After securing their mounts, the group stood by the water's edge, waiting for the next step.

"The secret realm is about 800 meters underwater. Let's not wait around; let’s go down now. What do you think?" Gute proposed.

"I have no objections!" Minny agreed immediately, and Maifan nodded as well. Seeing her mother agree, she had nothing more to say.

"I agree. Let’s get this over with," Ryan added without hesitation.

"Then let's head into the sea!" Xius certainly wouldn't voice any opposition at this point. He just hadn't expected the secret realm to be submerged.

"This is a Mermaid Potion. Drink it, and you'll be able to breathe underwater for a day," Gute said, handing a pale blue vial to Xius.

"We don't need those," Minny said, declining the potion.

"Forgot, forgot. Don't mind me!" Gute said, looking slightly embarrassed as he put the vial away.

After drinking the potion, Xius felt a cool sensation, accompanied by a faint, fishy taste. It felt as though a layer had formed over his skin, which felt quite strange.

"Let's go!" After finishing his own potion, Gute glanced at the group and descended into the ocean with the waves.